Harvesting Wild Blackberries

We recently met up with a couple friends at the Oldest House and picked some wild blackberries. It was a little buggy so we ended up leaving earlier than expected but with plans to return this week. There were quite a few fruiting blackberry bushes and we know of a few others throughout the island. I really love the last part of summer when we get to forage and harvest goods. We've already gone through blueberry season. I think we may try to make a blueberry blackberry wine, or perhaps a pie. We've gone through one wave of raspberries, but our patch is about to give us another wave of them. Alongside the blackberries are the delicious elderberries. My favorite summertime beer is made from elderberries and I'm excited to try my hand at something similar, Zak's the pro though so I suppose I'll have to ask him what he thinks!

Very soon it will be apple picking time. The island is covered with apple trees and it's easy to collect more than one entire truck bed full from some trees. Last year we made a variety of ciders and I'm sure this year will be the same, but I think I'd like to make some apple butter and a few pies this year too. Foraging is so very exciting especially because so many plants that are considered weeds bear such useful properties. I think I may start a series (probably by Zak) about wild and medicinal herbs that you can find in some of the most common places.